With apologies to “War,” Edwin Star’s classic 1969 song: Hyphen! What is it good for? Absolutely nothing!

These are not words the undeniably talented Jay Z will rap when he performs Saturday at Valley View Casino Center as part of his ongoing Magna Carter World Tour.

But in July, the hip-hop superstar born Shawn Carter had his record company announce he was no longer Jay-Z, but Jay Z. Why he decided to go hyphen-free so long after the release of his 1996 debut album is a mystery. Then again, in a year that has seen him embroiled in controversy, the absence of a hyphen is the least of his worries.

Even before he married Beyoncé in 2008, Jay-Z — make that Jay Z — was a megastar. His fame since then has grown exponentially. So have the challenges he faces, if not to the level enumerated in the lyrics of his classic 2003 song, “99 Problems.”

By any standard, though, the challenges faced by Jay Z — who counts everyone from President Obama to singer Josh Groban and “Mad Men” TV star Jon Hamm among his fans — are hardly typical.

Of course, it isn’t always easy being fabulously wealthy, let alone a brand unto yourself. Never mind that Jay Z raps to the contrary on “BBC” (short for Billionaire Boys Club), a song from his uneven latest album, “Magna Carta Holy Grail.”

And never mind that "Picasso Baby," another song from the same album, finds him proclaiming: I'm the modern day Pablo / Picasso, baby, when not dropping references to the Louvre in Paris, the Tate Modern in London, Art Basel and a whole lot of ultra-high-end items (from Bugattis to Hublots) that mere ordinary mortals can't possibly afford. Not so, Jay Z, who in 2006 sold his Rocawear clothing line for a cool $206 million and is one of the highest profile moguls around.

It's a conundrum of sorts.

Namely, what happens when the once-aspirational lyrics of a groundbreaking rapper no longer reflect their aspirations for upward mobility and the acquisition of riches, but the apparently jaded aftermath that comes after fabulous wealth and those acquisitions have become a reality?

On too much of "Holy Grail," Jay Z sounds jaded, like a master of his game who's become bored with the game. He seems a far cry from the onetime New York street hustler and drug dealer, who rose up to heady artistic heights with his vivid imagery, lyrical swagger, multiple entendres and command of choice alliterations.

Then again, Jay Z sounded bored and disillusioned when he announced his retirement, after the release of his 2003 classic, "The Black Album," only to "un-retire" in 2006 and release his decidedly substandard album, "Kingdom Come." But that was then and this is now, and Jay Z has some new issues to address.

To hype the release of "Holy Grail" this summer, he struck a deal with Samsung (worth a reported $20 million). That deal saw the company order a million copies of "Holy Grail" so that it's Samsung Galaxy owners could download the album three days early, using a special app.

To do so, however, users of that app first had to provide so much personal information to Samsung and Jay Z that the advocacy group Electronic Privacy Information Center filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission. Further compounding matters, users of the app encountered numerous technical glitches that delayed their ability to access "Holy Grail." Jay Z subsequently told a New York radio station the situation was "disheartening."

Then there's the ongoing controversy over his new Jay Z’s Barneys New York Line. It’s a “limited edition collection” that is being marketed in partnership with Barneys, the luxury department store chain. The line includes an $875 “mixed exotics” Brooklyn baseball cap, a $995 T-shirt, $2,590 embroidered leather boxing shorts and a $58,000 crocodile jacket.

On Oct. 23, news reports disclosed that two African-American college students had been detained by police at Barneys New York flagship store after purchasing high-priced items there, prior to the debut of Jay Z‘s line. Both customers were questioned about how they could afford such costly items. In the ensuing uproar, Barneys was accused of racial profiling and a chorus of Jay Z fans and social activists demanded he end his partnership. He refused.

In response to his failure to quickly respond, Jay Z — who said he wanted to get all the facts first — lamented: “Why am I being demonized, denounced and thrown on the cover of a newspaper for not speaking immediately?

"The negligent, erroneous reports and attacks on my character, intentions, and the spirit of this collaboration have forced me into a statement I didn't want to make without the full facts."

Jay-Z added also noted that he and his team are working "to get to the bottom of these incidents and at the same time find a solution that doesn't harm all those that stand to benefit from this collaboration.

"I am against discrimination of any kind, but if I make snap judgments, no matter who it's towards, aren't I committing the same sin as someone who profiles? I am no stranger to being profiled and I truly empathize with anyone that has been put in that position. Hopefully, this brings forth a dialogue to effect real change."

Originally, 25 percent of sales from Jay z's Barneys collection were slated go to the Shawn Carter Foundation, which offers educational support to young people facing social and economic hardships. Now, post-controversy, it appears 100 percent of sales from the collection will benefit the foundation.

Is this a case of social responsibility resulting from social irresponsibility? Perhaps.

Last year, veteran singer and human rights activist Harry Belafonte singled Jay Z out for criticism in response to an interviewer's question that asked if he was "happy with the image of members of minorities in Hollywood today?"

"Not at all," Belafonte, 86, replied. "They have not told the history of our people, nothing of who we are. We are still looking. ...And I think one of the great abuses of this modern time is that we should have had such high-profile artists, powerful celebrities. But they have turned their back on social responsibility. That goes for Jay-Z and Beyoncé, for example. Give me Bruce Springsteen, and now you're talking. I really think he is black."

Jay Z, in turn, was not happy to be called less black than Springsteen. Even so, his response to Belafonte in an interview this summer made Jay Z sound churlish at best.

"I'm offended by that," Jay Z said. "Because first of all, and this is going to sound arrogant, but my presence is charity. Just who I am. Just like (President) Obama's (presence) is. Obama provides hope. Whether he does anything, the hope that he provides for a nation, and outside of America, is enough. Just being who he is. You're the first black president. If he speaks on any issue or anything, he should be left alone.

"... I felt Belafonte ... just went about it wrong. Like the way he did it in the media, and then he bigged up Bruce Springsteen or somebody. And it was like, 'Whoa,' you just sent the wrong message all the way around. ... Bruce Springsteen is a great guy. You (Belafonte) are this Civil Rights activist and you just bigged up the white guy against me in the white media. And I'm not saying that in a racial way. I'm just saying what it is. The fact of what it was. And that was just the wrong way to go about it."

That wasn't the end of it.

On "Nickels and Dimes," a song from his "Holy Grail" album, Jay Z shot back at Belafonte in verse, rapping: I’m just trying to find common ground / ‘Fore Mr. Belafonte come / And chop a N*gga down/ Mr. Day-O, major fail / Respect these younguns, boy / It’s my time now/ Hublot homie, two door homie/ You don’t know all the (stuff) I do for the homies.

To reinforce that point, Jay Z adds later in the song: And just for clarity / My presence is charity / My flow is a gift / Philanthropist / Everybody 'round me rich / Or will be.

According to Forbes magazine, Jay Z and Beyoncé’s joint earnings between June 2012, and June, 2013, was $95 million. With $4 million more, he’ll have 99 million problems, all hyphen-free.

Either way, here's hoping the recent controversies he has encountered will inspire him to deliver his Thursday concert here with renewed vigor and commitment, rather than to simply coast on his fame and past glories.

If it does, it won't be the first time Hova has used conflict and adversity to fuel his music. If not, Pablo Picasso's famous blue period could take on a more literal meaning for Jay Z.

In the meanwhile, he's taking on a new, presumably much less contentious, pursuit: A 22-day vegan diet.

"Psychologists have said it takes 21 days to make or break a habit On the 22nd day, you’ve found the way.

On December 3rd, one day before my 44th birthday I will embark on a 22 Days challenge to go completely vegan, or as I prefer to call it, plant-based!!," Jay Z posted online Tuesday.

"This all began a few months back when a good friend and vegan challenged me to embrace a “plant-based breakfast” every day. It was surprisingly easier on me than I thought…

"Why now? There’s something spiritual to me about it being my 44th birthday and the serendipity behind the number of days in this challenge; 22 (2+2=4) coupled with the fact that the challenge ends on Christmas day…It just feels right!

"So you can call it a spiritual and physical cleanse. I will post my progress… Any professional vegans out there that have any great food spots please help out! Please ha. I don’t know what happens after Christmas. A semi-vegan, a full plant-based diet? Or just a spiritual and physical challenge? We’ll see…